In Hand!

SoH DichDaq stretch vo' lIj ghop Daq the QeHpu' vo' wIj jaghpu'. lIj nIH ghop DichDaq toD jIH.

You will stretch forth your hand against the wrath of my enemies. Your right hand will save me. Psalm 138:7b

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It is fortunate that Klingons are so good looking. That is, the remarkable similarities between humans and Klingons help a great deal in translating from human idioms to Klingon. At least, although we are ignorant of much of Klingon culture, we can assume that at least some of our idioms can be mapped across cultures.

In particular, thanks to the similarity between human and Klingon forms, we can hope that a passage like this one - that depends on idioms regarding "the hand" are not too difficult to render in tlhIngan Hol. It seems reasonable that Klingons would understand how "the hand" carries a variety of ideas: for example "in good hands," "right hand man," "laying on of hands," "short handed," or "even-handed."

Imagine instead a non-corporeal energy creature, or a changeling with malleable shape and features - what would they make of this confident assertion about God's care?

SoH DichDaq stretch vo' lIj ghop Daq the QeHpu' vo' wIj jaghpu'. lIj nIH ghop DichDaq toD jIH.

You will stretch forth your hand against the wrath of my enemies. Your right hand will save me. Psalm 138:7b

ghop - hand, is a word that can very directly, and literally translate the Hebrew "yad," what Webster calls: the extremity of the arm, consisting of the palm and fingers, connected with the arm at the wrist; the part with which we hold and use any instrument.

Now the word used in the beginning of this clause, "yad," occurs over 1400 times in the Bible (and is translated as hand over a 1000) is not the only noun used. The second part of the verse translates as "right hand" "yamiyn" - and means the right hand or side of a person or other object (as the stronger and more dexterous). The idea is to strengthen the promised power of God's hand - not just his hand, but his RIGHT hand, the strongest one.

We don't have details on the Klingons regarding right versus left - the strength and preference of one over another, so an emphasis on strength makes more sense in explaining this - in fact, I think a Klingon would like how the NLT version does just that:

you will preserve me against the anger of my enemies.
You will clench your fist against my angry enemies!
Your power will save me. Psalm 138:7b NLT

While the hand suggests power and ability - it also holds the promise of care, of connection, of intimacy. If you've ever joined a prayer circle - holding hands with other believers, you may have experienced that intimacy, the way fellowship unites believers. Not every hand is strong - but linked together we can, as the writer of Hebrews said:

Without wavering, let us hold tightly to the hope we say we have, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds. Heb 10:24,25 NLT

And God's hand reaches out to hold us, and strengthen us, and it's a hand that is permanently linked to us. I treasure the promise from Isaiah, to the those in Jerusalem who faced exile and were afraid of being forgotten:

“Never! Can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for a child she has borne? But even if that were possible, I would not forget you! See, I have written your name on my hand. Isaiah 49:16 NLT

If you're like me, that strikes a chord. I can't count the number of times I've used my ghop, my hand as an impromptu notepad. Jotting a quick word or letter to jog my memory in the one memo pad that will always be "at hand." God's like that too. Except it isn't picking up a gallon of milk on the way home that he is recording - it's YOU. The word for "written" is more like "carve" - think of a tattoo - a mark that won't EVER wash off. God has no intention of abandoning or forgetting his people.

SoH DichDaq stretch vo' lIj ghop Daq the QeHpu' vo' wIj jaghpu'. lIj nIH ghop DichDaq toD jIH.

You will stretch forth your hand against the wrath of my enemies. Your right hand will save me. Psalm 138:7b

Rejoice - you are in good hands.